Chapter 1: Escape World

"Where am I? How did I get here?"

"What the hell? Did I time travel? This is actually happening?"

Across the city streets, people stared around in bewildered confusion. They had no idea how they'd materialized in this crumbling urban wasteland.

Unlike the others, paralyzed by shock, Jason Williams' eyes burned with disbelief.

Reborn?

The sight before him was surreal. This is it—the global arrival in the Escape World, the start of the survival game.

This scene was burned into Jason’s memory.

"Jason, where are we? What's going on…?"

A voice cut through his thoughts. He looked to his side.

A woman, her face etched with panic, scanned their surroundings. She was asking him. She was average, but knew how to use makeup to her advantage, bordering on pretty. It was Sarah Jones, his ex-girlfriend.

Jason scowled. Reborn, and I run into this woman again? Seriously?

Sarah had landed a government job, no longer needing Jason's financial support, and had dumped him. Now, this.

In his last life, Sarah had cost him a ride, leaving him to scrape by at the bottom. He’d even been used as bait and killed by a monster.

As everyone in the city grappled with their predicament, a voice boomed in everyone's minds:

[Welcome to the Escape World!]

[Here, survival is the only option.]

[Find a vehicle and escape the city. Your vehicle is your lifeline. Choose wisely.]

[Treasure chests await along the escape route, containing supplies and enhancements. But you must defeat the guardian monsters first.]

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[Important: Escape quickly! Monsters arrive in one hour.]

Jason muttered, Just as I remembered. He was back. The voice was identical to the one from his previous life.

Unlike the others, clueless and terrified, Jason knew what this meant. Everyone between 18 and 50 worldwide had been dumped into this survival game. Everyone had to fight and escape. And in his last life, Jason had been a nobody, struggling to survive.

This time, I'm getting ahead of the curve. I'm surviving.

Suddenly, a system panel materialized before Jason and Sarah. He knew—everyone got one. It had four sections: [Attributes], [Channel], [Equipment], and [Vehicle].

Jason expertly navigated the panel, checking [Attributes] first.

Name: Jason Williams

Strength: E-Rank

Speed: E-Rank

Constitution: E-Rank

Spirit: E-Rank

Skills: None

Escape Coins: 0

Overall Assessment: E-Rank (Mediocre. You're barely better than some women. Don't rely on brute force; you don't have any.)

He opened the Channel interface, similar to a group chat app. They could chat and trade items. Everyone used real names and pictures; everyone could see everyone else.

The channels were divided into World Auction and Regional channels. The auction channel was offline.

He opened the Regional Channel. The user count was prominent:

Current Users: 10000/10000

Ten thousand people in this ghost town. Jason and Sarah were two of them.

The channel buzzed with frantic messages. Mostly complaints about their sudden arrival. Others worried about the monsters.

Mark Johnson: “Everyone heard that. Let's team up, share info, and escape together!”

Mark's suggestion was instantly popular. Stranded in a strange city, fear was rampant. Unity was their best chance.

People posted their thoughts. Someone quickly shared a picture of a bus at a stop. People were already boarding.

Many expressed their intention to get to the bus stop. Others pointed out there wouldn't be enough buses for everyone, suggesting they look for other vehicles. This sparked arguments.

The channel was a maelstrom of conflicting opinions.

Jason skimmed the chat, then exited. It took seconds, like checking a group chat on his phone. The Equipment and Vehicle sections were empty. No point looking.

Reborn, he knew his priority: a vehicle. Jason knew the power of a vehicle in the Escape World. Each one had special abilities, boosting its owner.

In his last life, the top players had the best vehicles. Those without? Followers.

Owners could recruit followers or enslave them. Male followers were cannon fodder; females were playthings, even trade goods. Only vehicle owners controlled their destiny and had a fighting chance.

To become an owner… you needed to bind to a vehicle—except buses.

Last time, Jason had wanted a vehicle. Sarah convinced him to take the bus. She ditched him the moment they got on, taking another ride, leaving a stunned Jason behind.